wilson



F. D. WILSON POWER INCLINED LEANING WHEEL GRAD May 21, 1929.

Filed Sept. 25, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet l 0, www

may www May 2l, 1929. F. D. wlLsoN 1,714,151

POWER INCLINED LENING WHEEL GRADER Filed sept. 25, 1924 4'sneets-sheet 2 F. D. WILSON POWER INCLINED LEANING WHEEL GRADER Filed Sept. 25, 1924 May 2l, 1929.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 il@ 1' Il@ g//o 0 /Z 70 /30\ l Jig-UW 'ly/y 1.294'

May 21, v1929. F. D. wlLsoN 1,714,151

POWER INCLINED LEANING WHEEL GRADER Filed Sept. 25, 19. 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 X50 UZ Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

FRED D. WILSON, OF HARVEY, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO AUSTIN MANUFACTURING CO., OF CHICAGO', ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

POWER-INCLINED LEANING-WHEEL GRADER.

Application filedy September This invention relates to road graders of the type in which the traction Wheels may be vertically inclined as may be required for proper operation of the machine.

The object of this invention is to provide power means for performing this tilting of the wheels of the machine, thus relieving the operator from the hard work which he otherwise has to perform and insuring more prompt and accurate adjustment of the wheels during all conditions of operation of the machine.

The invention consists in means selectively iisuable by the operator of the machine as it moves along the road for powerfully inclining the wheels of the road grader to such extent as may be desired, and particularly in such means, selectively controllable by an.

operator stationed at the single point on the machine, whereby he can at will incline either both rear Wheels or both front wheels of the grader. More in detail, the invention consists in means using the power of a. rotating traction wheel of the machine to incline said wheel and, preferably, its mate. Still more in detail, the invention further consists in numerous features and details of construction which will be hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2, showing n'iechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, transverse elevation, taken on the irregular line of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the mechanism of Fi 3.

igure 5 is an inverted, detail plan view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged, rear elevation view of the machine of Figures 1 and 2, showing the wheels in tilted position.

Figure 7 is an enlarged, sectional detail view on the line 7 7 of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is an enlarged, sectional detail view on the line 8-8 of Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a front view of the machine of Figures 1 and 2.

25, 1924. Serial No. 739,779.

Figure 10 is a plan view taken on the irregular line 10-10 of Figure 9.

For the purposes of illustrating the invention the drawings show a more or less conventional form of grader having parallel, elongated framemembers 12, sustained by front and rear axles 14 and 16, supported, respectively, by front wheels 18 and rear wheels 20. Underneath the frame and between the front and rear wheels is a more or less conventional, road working instrument 22, specifically a blade carried by the supplemental frame 24, pivoted at 26 to the front axle and selectively elevatable at opposite sides by the operators properly conventionally manipulating wheels 28 and 30, operatively connected through suitable gearing 32, shafts 34, cranks 36 and connecting rods 38 to opposite sides of the frame. The drawings also show, intermediate between the blade 22 and the frame 24 a horizontally disposed Wheel 40 by which the blade 22 may be ron tated to different angles crosswise of the path of travel of the machine. The parts thus far described are conventional, shown merely for illustrative purposes and do notl enter into the invention except as may hereafter appear.

Intermediate between front axle 14 and the front end of frame 12 is a horizontally disposed more or less conventional fifth wheel mechanism 42, sustained on inclined braces 44 rising from the axle permitting conventional rotation of the axle 14 and front wheels 18 in a horizontal plane so as to allow the machine to travel around curves and corners as itis propelled over t-lie ground under any suitable source of power, as, for instance, a power tractor or horses attached to a forwardly extended member 46, rigidly attached to the fifth wheel 42.

Each end of rear axle 16 is provided with a horizontally disposed pivot 48, operatively supporting a bell crank member, one of whose arms is a horizontal stub shaft and whose other arni is a vertical lever 52 extending upward inside of and approximately parallel to the adjacent wheel, the free ends of these last mentioned levers being pivotally connected to opposite ends of the connecting rod 54 substantially parallel to rear axle 16. The two members 52, axle 16 and connecting rod 54 form a. parallelograin which, in a conventional manner, permits the rocking of the CII wheels 20 from the upright position of Figure 3 to the inclined position of Figure 6 and to a corresponding position in which the wheels 2O are inclined to the same extent to the opposite side of their normal vertical positions.

One of the members 16 and 54, in the particular case here illustrated the axle 16, carries a gear case 56 suitably secured thereto by any suitable means, as, for instance, bolts 58, said gearing case journaling the horizontal shaft 60, provided with a pinion 62 meshing with a segmental gear 64 carried by the opposite of said two members, in the particular case here illustrated, connecting rod 54. This gear 64 is rigid with reference to connecting rod 54, being suitably secured thereto by any suitable means as, for instance, boltJ 66. In conventional manner, well known in the gearing art, segmental gear 64 is made with a radius equal to th-e distance betweenthe pivotal connections at the ends of each bell crank arm 52 with the result that when and if pinion 62 is rotated, it causes segmental gear 64 to travel over the circumference of the pinion 62 to thereby shift connecting rod 54 between the two extreme positions to which the wheels 20 may be inclined with reference to axle 16, the segmental gear 64 and pinion 62 being properly in mesh with each other in all positions of this movement. This relation of the parts being as stated, it is only necessary to provide means for selectively rotating pinion 62 in either direction to incline the wheels 2() as the operator may desire.

For the purpose just described, shaft 60 is provided with a worm gear 68 meshing with a worm 70 on a vertically disposed shaft 72 carrying on its upper end, outside of the lio-asing 56 which encloses the worin and its adjacent gear just described, sprocket gear 74, embraced by a horizontally disposed sprocket chain 7 6.

The gear case 56 and the adjacent parts described are preferably but not necessarily located at approximately the center of the machine and the chain 7 6 extends, in the particular' case here illustrated, over to a point adjacent to oneof the rear wheels 20 where it passes around another sprocket wheel 7 8 on the upper end of a vertically disposed, rotar able shaft 80, journaled in another lgear case 82, suitably attached by any suitable means to rear axle 16. On the lower end of shaft inside of gear case is a horizontally disposed bevel gear 84, meshing with two vertically disposed parallel, opposing bevel gears, 86 and 88, initially freely rotatable on a horizontal shaft 90, suitably journalled in the walls of gear case 82. Reciprocally but non-rotatably mounted on shaft 90, inside of case 82 and between gears 86 and 88 is a clutch carrier 92 having two oppositely disposed conical clutch faces 94 and 96, adapted to selectively engage at the will of the operator with corresponding conical recesses 98 and 100 in gears 86 and 88, respectively. The clutch carrier 92 is rendered non-rotatable on shaft by any conventional, suitable means, as, for instance, spline connection 102. The construction is such that when the clutch carrier is moved to throw face 94 into engagement with conical recess 98, gear 86 is thereby clutched to shaft 90 to rotate gear 84, shaft 80 and attached parts, gear 88 merely rotating loosely on shaft 90 through 'the driving action of gear 84 and correspondingly when the clutch is so moved that conical face 96 engages conical recess 100 and gear 88, that gear drives gear 84, shaft 80 and attached parts while gear 86 is turned loosely on shaft 90. Means for throwing clutch carrier 92, so as to move the cones 94 and 96 to a selected one of the positions just described, is provided by means of an upstanding yoke 104 embracing opposite sides of the clutch, there being on the yoke pins 106 entering in conventional manner a circumferential notch 106V formed between the bases of conical members 94 and 96, the lit of the pins being such that they do not interfere with the free rotation of the clutch carrier and its cones in unison with shaft 90 but they are capable of causing yoke 104, when properly actuated, to reciprocate the clutch carrier along the spline connection 102 on shaft 90 between the two clutching positions heretofore described. Yoke 104 is rigidly mounted on a rockable shaft 110, suitably journalled in the base of gear case 82, there being on one end of this shaft an upstanding lever 112 conveniently located ad jacent to the operators station, represented in the drawings in general by the seat 114, occupied by him when the machine is working. This lever 112 is conventionally equipped with a latch 116 adapted, when re tracted, to glide over segment 120 and to otherwise enter notch 118 in the center of said segment, corresponding to the position occupied by the lever 112 when the clutch carrier 92 is in the mid position shown in Figure in which neither cone of the carrier is in engagement with either of the gears 86 or 88, and no tilting of the wheels is taking place. The right hand corner or end of seg ment 120 corresponds to the position assumed by the lever 112 when cone clutch 96 is in engagement with conical rec-css 100 for the pur pose of causing the mechanism to tilt the wheels to the inclined position shown in Fig. 6. The left hand end of the segment corresponds to the position assumed by the lever 112 when the operator has moved it to throw clutch cone 94 into engagement with conical recess 98 to thus incline the wheels in the opposite direction.

On the outer end of shaft 90, nearest the adjacent wheel 20, is ay bevel gear 122 meshing with a bevel gear 124 on a horizontal shaft 126 in alignment with pivot 48 on which wheels 20 rock. This shaft 126 carries a larger' bevel pinion 128 meshing with a driving bevel gear 130, rigidly attached to the adjacent wheel by any suitable means, as, for instance, the bolted clamps 132, Figure 7. Shaft 126 is journaledin stationary brackets, for inst-ance, 134 on the side of Icase 82 and 136 on the side of axle 16, which maintain this shaft in alignment with the center of the adjacent pivot 48. rI"he result of this construction is the important fact that pinion 128 and gear 130 are always in operative mesh with each other in all positions of inclination which the operator may cause the adjacent wheel 20 to assume, as described, with the result that when the operator has manipulated lever 112 to, for instance, throw clutch members 96 and 100 into operative engagement, wheel 20 which carries gear 130 will cause said gear, through the gearing adjacent thereto, sprocket chain 7 6, the gearing in case 56, gears 62 and 64, to incline both wheels 20 in the direction which is controlled by the particular gear 88, thus thrown into operation on shaft 90. l/Vhenever the operi ator sees that wheels 20 have been brought to the desired inclination by the method just described, he releases lever 112 from the inclined osition and swings it to the neutral or middle position, thus leaving the wheels 20 inclined and locked in that position by the friction of Vthe gearing and, particularly, worm mechanism 68-70 which, as well understood in the gearing art, acts as a lock. Vhenever the operator desires to return the wheels 2O to norn'ial, upright position or to carry them through normal to the opposite Vinclined position from that just described, he

merely swings lever 112 to the opposite inclined position to cause cone 94-to engage with face 98 whereupon the traction wheel carrying gear 130 reverses through the clutch the direction. of rotation of the shaft 8O and thereby causes the rotation oit wheel 2O as the machine is drawn along the ground to powerfully, reversely incline both wheels 20. lVhenever the wheels 20 reach the desired new inclined position, the operator moves iever 112 to central or neutral position on the segment 120, thereby causing the wheels Vto automatically lock themselves in said new position. lVhen the operator desires to return the wheels from the lust described upright position, he moves lever' 112 to the position shown in Figure 6, thereby engaging cone 96 with face of conical recess 100 until such time as the power generated by the wheel 20, traveling over the ground, has righted both wheels, whereupon he again swings lever 112 to central or neutral position thus leaving the wheels in locked and upright position.

The placing' of the pivots 48, on which the wheels rock, at the sides as distinguished posite direction is based on the assumption ot the grader moving in only one direction, viz: forward. It is, however, of course obvious that if by any means not entering into this invention the grader is moved in the opposite direction, specilically backward, while either gear 86 or 88 is clutched to shait't 90, the power generated by the tractive movement of the adjacent wheel 20 will, during such backward movement, operate to incline the wheels in the opposite direction from that caused when the grader is moving forward. The possible operative combinations thus arising when the grader is 'capable ot being propelled both Yforward and backward are obvious from the foregoing and appear to need no detailed description.

The front wheels 18 of the lgrader are independently inclinable by the power generated by one of the front wheels through mechanism substantially identical with that applied to the rear wheels 2O and heretofore described in detail. The only essential ditference is the mechanism by which the operator at his station 114 manipulates the clutch, corresponding io clutch 92 of the rear wheel mechanism, to appiy the power of one of the front wheels to the inclination of both trontwheels and by which such mechanism is operative, regardless ot the angle of rotation of the front axle in a horizontal plane on litthk wheel 42.

The front wheels are journaled on stub shaft-bell cranks 140-142, rockable on the end of front axle 14 on pivots 144, these parts being substantially identical with 48-50-52 on the rear axle. The upper ends of members 142 are connected together by a rod 146 corresponding to connecting rod 54, the same bearing a segmental gear 148 identicalwith gear 64. This gear 148 is operated through a worm gearing mechanism 150-152h154. contained within a housing 156, secured to front axle 114, the parts just described being identical with those at the center ot axle 16 engaging' gear 64. The worm gearing just described is connected through sprocketchain 158, identical with chain 7 6, to a clutch-bevel gearing mechanism contained within a case 160, mounted on axle 14, the parts being in all respects substantially identical with those in case on the rear axle.` The mechanism in case 160 includes a horizontal shaft 162 like shaft 90, the same being operatively connected through gears 164-166-168 and 170, corresponding to gears 122-130 heretofore described. Gear 170 is rigidly attached to an adjacent front wheel 18 and gears 166 and 168 are rotatable in the axis of the adjacent pivot 14141, identicallyv as gears 121 to 128 a fe rotatable on the axis of adjacent pivot L18. The gearing mechanism in case 16() includes the clutch carrier 172, identical with clutch carrier 92, shiftable between bevel gears (not shown in the drawing) on shag-"1;y 162 for the same purpose and in the same manner that clutch carrier 92 is shifted. This clutch carrier is shifted by rocking a yoke 171, corresponding to yolie .lO- i, uuiuntcd on a horizontal shaft 176, identical in tuiuztion ivith shaft 110, and all that is necessary to cause the l'ront wheel 18 which carries gear 170 to poiverfully incline both front wheels is to properly manipulate this sha'tt 17,3 just as shaft 11() is manipulated by lever 112, as heretofore 'fully described.

The desired operation of shaft 176 Yfrom the operators station is accomplished by equipping that shaft ivith a short, upstaiuling lever 178, operatively connected through connecting rod 180 and a bell crank 182 pivoted at 18a on front axle 11i to a vertically reciprocal rod 186 located in the pivotal axis on which front axle 14 rocks in a horizontal plane. This rod 186 passes through the central opening 188 in fifth Wheel mechrfinism il2 and is operatively connected at its upper end to the 'free swinging end of a lever 19t), rigidly mounted on the forward end oi? a horizontal shaft 192 extending rearwardly from the mechanism described to a journalingl support 194; located in front ot and reachable from the operators station 114. At this operators station, shaft 192 carries an operating lever 196 corresponding in all operative functions and particulars ivith lever 112, controlling rear wheels 20. ln detail, this lever is mounted on a pivot 198 on a frame member 200. The lever rocks over a locking segment 202, having in it a notch 261, engageable by a latch 266, conventionally mounted on the lever 196. then latch 206 is in the middle or neutral notch 264, 'the Wheels 20 are in upright position and it engages one of the other notches in each of the selected, inclined positions ot the front wheels 20, actly as lever 112 does in connection ivith segment 120 as heretofore elaborately dcscribed. F rom the foregoing, it clear that the operator can by properly manipulating lever 196 cause the power, generated by the front vvheel 18 which carries the gear 170, to incline front Wheels 18 in either' direction as the operator may select. The gearing in housing 156 serves to lock the Wheels in selected position, inclined or upright, whenever lever 196 is in middle or neutral position on the segment 202.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that as the machine of this invention travels along the road, the operator riding thereon and at his station 1114- can, by selectively manipulating the levers 112 and 196, cause both the front and the rear wheels ot the machine to assume the desired position or positions ot' inclination with reference to the body of the machine and the Working tool 22 and that the only energy he has to expend to do this is that required to throw the clutches controlled by said levers, the power generated by the road Wheels doing` the real work.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new and desire to secure by iii-tters Patent is:

1. In a road machine, a traction wheel mounted for movements about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, traction operated means 'for imparting said movements to the Wheel, and manually controlled means for selectively connecting and disconnecting said wheel to and from the traction operated. means in any position of the Wheel about the first named axis.

2. ln a road machine, a traction Wheel mounted for movement in either of two directions about an axis at the side of said Wheel disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, traction operated means for imparting said movements to the Wheel, and means for selectively causing said traction operated means to move the Wheel in either direction.

8. ln a road machine, a traction Wheel mounted for movement in either of two directions about an axis disposed at an angle to its :nos ol rotation, traction operated means for imparting said movements to the Wheel, and means at the will of the operator for selectiveiy causing said traction operated means to move the Wheel in either direction during tractional movement of the machine in one direction.

Ll. In a road machine, a traction Wheel mounted for movements about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, means operated by rotation of the Wheel to impart movements thereto about the first named axis, and a manually controlled device for selectively rendering said means effective and ineffective in any position of the Wheel about said first named axis.

ln a road machine provided With an operators station, a traction Wheel mounted for movement in either of two directions about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis oit rotation, means operated by rotation. of the `wheel to impart movement thereto about the .'lirst named axis, and a device controlled 'from the operatons station for selectively causing said means to move the Wheel in either direction about the rst named axis.

6. ln a road machine, a traction Wheel mounted for movement in either of tvvo directions about an axis disposed at the side of the vvheel at an angle to its axis of rotation, means operated by rotation of the Wheel to impart movement thereto about the lirst named axis,

and a device for selectively causing said means to move the wheel in either direction about said first named axis during rotation of said wheel in one direction.

7. In a road machine, a pair of traction wheels each mounted for movements about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, and means operated by one of said wheels to impart said movements in unison to the wheels.

8. In a road machine, a traction wheel tiltable in either of two directions from vertical position, traction operated mechanism for tilting saidv wheel, and means manipulatable by an operator on the machine for selectively causing said tilting of the wheel to take place y in either direction.

9. In a Yroad machine, a trcation wheel tiltable in either of two directions from vertical position, mechanism operated by rotation of said wheel to effect tilting thereof, and means when engaged by an operator to selectively cause tilting of the wheel to take place in either direction during rotation of the wheel in one direction.

10. In a road machine, a pair of traction wheels, each tiltable in either of two directions from vertical position, means operated by one of said wheels to tilt both in unison,

, and means controlled by the operator of the machine for selectively causing said tilting of the wheels to take place in either direction.

l1. In a road machine, a pair of traction wheels each tiltable in either of two directions from vertical position, means operated by rotation. of one of said wheels to tilt the wheels collectively, and means controlled by the operator of the machine for selectively causing said tilting of the wheels to take place in either direction, while the wheel operating the tilting means rotates in the same direction.

12. In a road machine, a pair of traction wheels tiltable between vertical and inclined positions, a vertical pivotal steering connection between said wheels and the machine, and means actuated by one .of said wheels for tilting both wheels in unison, said means being operative in all positions of said wheels about said vertical pivot.

13. In a road machine, a pair of traction wheels each tiltable in either of two directions from vertical position, a vertical pivotal steering connection between said wheels and the machine, means operated by rotation of one of said wheels to tilt both wheels in unison, said means being operative in all positions of said wheels about said vertical pivot, and means selectively causing said tilting to take place in either direction while the wheel operating the tilting means rotates in the same direction.

' a unit being tiltable relative to the frame,

power means operated by one of said wheelsl operating in all tilted positions of said wheels to tilt them, a road working tool carried by said frame, means controlled by an operator on the machine for applying and cutting off the application of said power to tilt said wheels, and means in the tilting means locking the wheels in each position assumed as the power .is cut off.

15. In a road machine in combination, a frame, a pair of traction wheels connected to tilt in unison about parallel, horizontal axes, one at each side of the frame, and mechanism actuated by one of the wheels comprising a member rotatable about one of said horizontal axes for tilting saidwheels.

16. In a road machine, a frame member, a traction wheel pivotally mounted on said frame member for tilting movement with respect thereto about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, a gear wheel carried by said traction wheel, a gear wheel carried by said frame member constantly in mesh with the gear wheel carried by the trac tion wheel, and a connection between said second mentioned gear wheel and said tract-ion wheel whereby rotation of the latter may be caused to impart tilting movements to itself.

17. In a road machine, a frame member, a

traction wheel pivotally mounted on said i frame member for tilting movement with respect thereto about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, a gear wheel carried by said traction wheel, a gear wheel carried by said frame member constantly in mesh with the gear wheel carried by the traction wheel, and a connection between said second mentioned gear wheel and said traction wheel including means whereby rotation of the latter may becaused to impart tiltingI movements to itself selectively in either of two directions.

18. In a road machine, a frame member, a traction wheel pivotally mounted on said frame member for tilting movement with respect thereto about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, a gear wheel carried by said traction wheel, a gear wheel carried by said frame member constantly in mesh with the gear wheel carried by the traction wheel, and a connection between said second mentioned gear wheel and said traction wheel whereby rotation of the latter may be caused to impart tilting movements to itself, said connection embodying a means effective to lock the traction wheel against tilting movement except by rotation of said traction wheel.

19. In a road machine, a frame member, a traction wheel pivotally mounted on said frame member for tilting movement with respect thereto about an axis disposed at an angle to its axis of rotation, a gear wheel carried by said traction wheel, a gear wheel carried by said frame member rotatable about an axis coincident with the axis about which the traction wheel iS. tiltable and constantly in mesh with the gear wheel carried by said traction wheel, and a conm-rction between said second mentioned gear wheel and said trac* tion wheel whereby rotation o if the latter may be caused to impart tilting movements t0 itself.

2l). ln n road machine, a jframe member, a pair of bell cranks pivoted at spaced points to said frame member, a traction Wheel rotatably mounted on one arm of each bell crank, a rod connectingthe other arms of said bell cranks, and a connection between one of said traction Wheels and said rod effective by rotation of said traction Wheel to shift said rod longitudinally thereby to rotate said bell cranks on their pivots and thus tilt the traction Wheels.

2l. In a road machine, a frame member, a pair of bell cranks pivoted at spaced points to said trame member, a traction Wheel rotatably mounted on one arm of each bell crank, a rod connecting the other arms of said bell cranks,

and a connection between one of said traction Ito be tilted in either of tivo opposite directions by rotation ot said traction Wheels in a single direction,

ln a road machine, a frame member, a pair ot bell cranks pivoted at spaced points to said trame member, a traction wheel rotatably mounted on one arm of each bell crank, a rod connecting the other arms of said bell cranks, and a train of gears between one ot said traction Wheels and said rod effective by rotation of said traction wheel to shift said rod longitudinally thereby to rotate said bell cranks on their pivots and thus tilt the traction Wheels, said train of gears including a Worm and worm Wheel effective to lock the traction wheels against tilting movement when rotation of said traction Wheels ceases.

23. In a road machine, a frame member, a pair of bell cranks pivoted at spaced points to said frame member, a traction Wheel rotatably mounted on one arm of each bell crank, a rod connecting the other arms of said bell cranks, a gear Wheel carried by one et said traction Wheels, a gear Wheel carried by said frame member in mesh with the gear wheel carried by said traction Wheel, and a connection between said trame carried gear wheel and said rod effective by rotation of said gear carrying traction Wheel to shift said rod thereby to swing said bell cranks on their pivots and thus tilt the traction Wheels.

In witness whereof.` I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FRED D. VTLSON. 

